Character analysis
Tiresias
in The Odyssey by Homer
Tiresias is the blind prophet from Thebes who shows up in Book XI of the Odyssey when Odysseus travels to the Underworld (the nekyia) to seek his guidance. Even in death, Tiresias keeps his ability to prophesy, thanks to a special allowance from Persephone — a point Homer makes to set him apart from the other spirits, who need to drink sacrificial blood to speak clearly. After he drinks, Tiresias shares the epic's most critical prophecy: he warns Odysseus that Poseidon's anger will make his return home difficult, advises him not to harm Helios's cattle on Thrinakia, and predicts that if his crew disobeys, Odysseus will return home alone, later than expected, and on a stranger's ship. He also reveals the fate of the suitors and outlines a mysterious journey Odysseus must take after reaching Ithaca — carrying an oar until he meets a people unfamiliar with the sea — before he eventually meets a peaceful death "from the sea" in old age.
Tiresias serves as the epic's oracle of inevitability: his prophecies frame every challenge that follows as already predetermined and therefore only manageable through obedience and perseverance. He exemplifies the archetype of the blind seer whose inner sight exceeds that of ordinary vision, and his concise, authoritative scene anchors the entire middle section of the poem, providing Odysseus — and the audience — with a roadmap for the narrative that lies ahead.
Connected characters
- Odysseus
Tiresias is the sole reason Odysseus descends to the Underworld. Circe directs Odysseus to seek him out, and his prophecy — warning of Poseidon's anger, the cattle of Helios, the suitors, and the final inland journey — serves as Odysseus's essential roadmap for survival and homecoming.
- Circe
Circe sends Odysseus to consult Tiresias, positioning the prophet as the indispensable next step after her own guidance. Her instruction elevates Tiresias's authority and links the two supernatural advisors as complementary sources of knowledge Odysseus must heed.
- Poseidon
Tiresias names Poseidon explicitly as the divine force behind Odysseus's suffering, explaining the god's rage over the blinding of Polyphemus. His prophecy thus contextualizes Poseidon's antagonism and frames it as an obstacle Odysseus can survive but never fully escape until his final journey.
- Athena
Tiresias's prophecy implicitly complements Athena's ongoing protection of Odysseus: where Athena acts in the present to guide and shield him, Tiresias reveals the divine plan's long arc, and both forces together define the boundaries within which Odysseus must operate.
- Penelope
Tiresias prophesies that Odysseus will find suitors consuming his household and courting Penelope, and that he will punish them. His words thus guarantee Penelope's eventual reunion with her husband, even as she remains unaware of the consultation occurring in the realm of the dead.
- Antinous
Tiresias foretells the destruction of the suitors as a group, a fate Antinous — the most arrogant and aggressive of them — will exemplify when Odysseus's bow kills him first in Book XXII, fulfilling the prophet's warning to the letter.